A Second Chance
by Anonymistress
Summary: Clockwork, the master of time, out of boredom, decides to release Dan Phantom and give him a second chance at being Danny Phantom, in an alternate timeline. This causes a few problems...
1. Prologue

(A/N: This story will evolve based on your suggestions. I love feedback, positive or negative. Enjoy!)

Being a servant of time was tiring. Being ordered about by the observers, watching as everything you knew was going to happen happen, and simply waiting was wearing out the ghost known as Clockwork. The master of time took to staring at the thermos that encapsulated Dan Phantom. A paradox, a being that should not exist. The events to create him never happened, but yet, he was still here.

The observers, time and time again, urged him to destroy the being. But Clockwork had not. He would not. Dan was an anomaly, as stated before. He was the one thing that Clockwork could not predict a future for, and that made him very, very curious.

The thermos was silent these days. It started off rattling, with dents, as the monster inside tried to escape. Clockwork simply fixed it every time. Dan spoke a lot, pledging he would escape, vowing to return, promising to defeat his younger self. Slowly, but surely, it subsided into silence. Perhaps the older ghost had gone into hibernation, biding his time. Maybe he had become good, this Clockwork doubted. The impulse to open it was strong, to release the creature, to see what had become of it, if he was even inside at all.

The time ghost moved his gaze away from the figurative Pandora's box, and decided. He would commission for a containment unit to be created, similar to the one that held Vortex, but this one would be much stronger. Yes, and there would be a slot for the thermos to open into, to release the prisoner inside.

And it really didn't take much time at all. Then again, Clockwork was the master of time, so he perhaps he had a hand in how quickly it went.


	2. Chapter One

"Are you sure about this, master of time?" asked an observer, one of the two who had brought the container.

The cloaked spirit allowed a quick smile. "I am."

The other quickly protested, "if He escapes, you will be held responsible-"

The master of time held up a hand to silence the one eyed being. "I know. Now, please, if you would, observe the door."

The two ghosts faded out of the room, leaving Clockwork alone. He sighed, and went to the thermos, gingerly picking it up, and placing it into the slot where it would let go. He had a moment to consider his decision. And then he pressed the release button.

"MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed a indistinguishable figure, white smoke cloaking him. As it faded, it revealed a tall, muscular form. He had almost white, blue hair that acted like flames, and wore a black and white jumpsuit, with the DP emblem on it, as well as a tattered cape that fluttered behind him. His eyes were red, and rather menacing, as something akin to eyeliner surrounded them. His laughter faded into coughing. He was weakened, as the cage shocked him, and he cried out in pain. "What is the meaning of this!?" he asked, in his deep voice.

Clockwork, ever smiling, gazed at Dan. "Dan Phantom... It's been a century. A blink of an eye, in my time. But for you? I can only imagine how long it felt."

The muscular man's eyes widened, before they narrowed. "Why'd you release me?" he asked, cutting to the chase.

"I am a timeless being, being the master of time," explained Clockwork, with a weary smile. "It gets rather dull, knowing everything that will ever happen. Except... You. An anomaly, a paradox. You can't exist, because the events that transpired to create you never happened. Yet... You are here, and I cannot see your future."

Dan crossed his arms. He was fascinated by the concept, with his Plasimus mind, but kept quiet. When Clockwork didn't continue, he wondered if he had missed something. "So what?" he almost spat.

The master of time's eye narrowed. "I have an offer for you. A second chance. I see all timelines, all possibilities, and I can put you back into a version of your 14 year old self. You can be Danny Phantom once more."

Dan scoffed. Was he joking? He would have thought that Clockwork was, but his tone was grave, and serious. He meant every word that he spoke. "What's in it for you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A surprise. As stated earlier, I cannot see your future. Which means... Your actions will be a nice surprise for me. A change of pace. That, and the observers wanted you destroyed. It's always nice to spite them," he explained with a soft, mischievous smirk.

Dan Phantom considered it. A second chance... "What if I refuse?"

"Well, I suppose those observers won't be spited, after all." Clockwork said, smile dropping.

The fusion ghost growled. So there was no real choice at all. He could have a second chance, be Danny Phantom again... Or he could be destroyed. He frowned, realizing something. "You said something about alternate timelines... What will happen to the one I replace?"

"That one, he died anyway. He could not take the stress anymore..." Clockwork said softly, sadly.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Tell me more of these realities..." He was stalling, and the two of them knew it, through a quick exchange of glances.

"There are an infinite number of realities, an infinite number of ways your story could have gone. In some, you die before you even get your ghost powers." Clockwork tapped his staff to the portal that showed reality, to show a not breathing, not moving Danny on the lab floor, in his hazmat suit, with his best friends beside him. This received a yawn from the prisoner.

"Others, you become the ghost king, and rule over both realms." Another tap, and it showed Danny with the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage on his person. To this, Dan looked curious.

"Many, you marry Sam, and in some, you instead have a liking for... Others." A quick succession of taps, showing wedding scenes between Danny and Sam, Danny and Tucker, Danny and Valerie, Danny and Vlad... The list went on, and it elicited a confused look from Dan.

"Quite a few, you protect Amity Park for your entire life, and afterlife." An image of Danny Phantom, fighting evil ghosts still. Dan rolled his eyes.

"And here is yours, Dan." It was black. There was nothing there, not a speck of anything.

The captive ghost frowned. "There's nothing there..."

"That's because it doesn't exist. It never happened. You never happened. Now, you see why I am so curious. Here, here is the one I might send you to." A tap, and it revealed a Danny Fenton, in bed, crying. "He suffers from depression, and extreme stress. In the end, he takes his own life. A sad fate, many timelines share. But you can do better. Better than he did, and better than you did before." Clockwork smiled.

Dan took to staring, something like caring in his eyes, before his look hardened. "And again, if I don't?"

The spirit of time's look hardened as well. "Then, I will have no choice but to send you to your own timeline, and close it off forever. You will be a prisoner to a world that doesn't exist."

Dan growled, and muttered, "Fine. I'll take you up on your offer."

The master of time nodded, his smile returning. "Good." A tap of his staff to the cage, and it phased out of existence. He held Dan's shoulder, and then the two of them vanished, as well.


	3. Chapter Two

Danny Fenton was in bed, on this sad Saturday. This was the third week, now, that he had just been laying there, looking like an empty shell, crying. He wouldn't get up for anything but school, which he slept through, anyway. He hardly talked to anyone, including his friends and family. Ghost activity escalated, and nothing anyone said or did would invoke Danny Phantom to appear. The ghost boy was as good as gone, and Amity Park was the worse for it.

In walked Jasmine, picking up the day's uneaten lunch, and trading it for the day's dinner that would probably also be uneaten, as well. She sighed, glancing at Danny. "You have to get up, Danny... C'mon, I believe in you. You're strong, and brave. And the ghosts out there... They need Phantom to put them down."

No response from the raven haired boy, only a sad look as he wistfully gazed at the ceiling.

Jazz took a deep breath. "Please... You're my brother, and I love you. You have to fight the ghosts..."

"What's the point?" he asked softly, in his broken voice. Jasmine waited, with bated breath, for what he would say next. It ended up being, "I want to be alone."

She lowered her teal eyes, and sighed, as she left the room, the closed the door gently.

Danny took to crying again. Why was he so stupid, so weak, so miserable? He just wanted to die, he didn't deserve to live, he just wanted to...

"Time out!" yelled a voice, as two figures appeared. Clockwork, master of time, and Dan Phantom, paradox.

Dan whistled, staring at his frozen, pathetic self. "What a wimp," he muttered.

"That wimp is you, Dan. When you touch him, you will enter into his body. You'll end up 75% ghost. But there are some warnings."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Lay them on me."

"Your sister has been covering for you a lot lately. She'll expect you to slowly get better. Don't do anything rash."

"Got it," Dan said, looking around the room.

"You will retain all of your power when you fuse with him. But his body will not be able to handle it. Use it carefully, and wisely. His body is a shell, and you're what's on the inside. Burning that shell would not be wise," Clockwork warned.

"Mhm," muttered Dan, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"And, finally, you can call me if you have any more questions. Simply say my name, and I will appear."

"Noted." The muscular man said, posing, and grinning at his reflection. Clockwork let out a heavy sigh. He wasn't sure whether or not Dan heard a word he said, but that was the ghost's problem.

"Now, touch the boy, and time will begin anew," instructed the master of time.

At least, the ultimate enemy seemed to hear this, and hesitated, thinking this through. He could take his chances trying to defeat Clockwork - a mistake, he knew, but at least he would be true to himself. Or he could take this second chance, and be weak. He sighed, and decided the latter was better, as he laid a bluish hand on the boy.

And in a moment, or maybe none, time started again.


	4. Chapter Three

The raven haired boy woke up, feeling weak. He grunted, looking at himself in the mirror. Small, sickly. But familiar, nostalgic, too. He stood up, on his wobbly little legs, and headed downstairs, feeling famished - and he had every right to be. He hadn't eaten in a century.

He went to the cabinet, and grabbed a box of cereal. He frowned. As a ghost, he had no need to eat, or drink, or sleep. With these new (and old) needs, he felt that much more weak. But the needs had to be fulfilled. At least, until he could become full ghost again.

He got a bowl (somehow he remembered the location of the bowls) and poured the cereal. He began to eat it dry, realising that he wasn't just hungry, he was famished, starving, almost. With his hands, he dug into it, shoving handfuls into his mouth.

He heard footsteps, and halted. There was his sister, Jasmine, who looked quite startled at him. Not out of fear. No, hope. Something no one had looked at him with for a long time.

"S-sorry," he stuttered, inwardly cursing. "I was just really hungry. I haven't eaten in a hundred, uh, hours." A bad lie, but Jazz let it slide. In fact, she wrapped his arms around him.

Not expecting this, he froze, before he realized it was a hug. This, too, he had not gotten for a while. It felt so nice... He felt tears begin to brim in his eyes.

After a few minutes of hugging in silence, his sister spoke. "It's going to be okay, you know that, right?"

He nodded gently, letting go. Why am I acting like this? It must be the human part of me... And he kinda liked it. Having emotions again was nice. Especially relief, and happiness.

Until his ghost sense went off. Instead of the red swirls from his nose he was used to, it was his original blue puff from his mouth.

"You should probably get that," Jazz almost whispered.

He didn't want to. But the smallest part of him did. "Take care. Going ghost," he muttered, clenching his fists, and a white ring formed around his waist, splitting into two that went in opposite directions. As they passed over him, his outfit changed into the simple white and black hazmat suit of his youth, and his hair became white. No fire, he found, with dismay. Oh, well.

He went intangible, and phased through the wall to outside, looking for ghosts. And there they were - Skulker, Technus, and Box Ghost.

Danny's eyes widened, before they flashed a dangerous crimson. This would be a piece of cake... The ghosts back in his timeline were much more dangerous and powerful than these ones. But he felt a wall, blocking him off from his true power. A push would knock it over, but... He had been listening when Clockwork said his body was a shell, and he could burn through it easily.

"I am the Box Ghost! Bow down before me!" proclaimed the box ghost, to two ghosts who just weren't listening.

Technus was helping Skulker modify his armor. "So, which one does which again?" asked the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone

The tech ghost let out a frustrated sigh. "This one -"

He fell silent, when a figure appeared before them. Danny Phantom, the halfa, the ghost boy, who had gone missing for three weeks today.

"So, the little runt finally decides to show up. Good, I've been looking forward to a challenge!" Skulker says, a grin on his face.

Danny's eyes flashed red. "Challenge? You're no match for me. In fact..." He took a deep breath, before he let out a ghostly wail, sending the three ghosts tumbling backwards. He stopped in seconds, feeling they got the point.

"Face it, kid, you're no match for the two of us!" said a dishelved Technus.

The Box Ghost counted on his fingers. "Wait... Don't you mean three of us?"

Too invested in watching the exchange, Danny never saw the pink blast coming. He found himself flung against the concrete, and let out a cry of pain.

There he was, Vlad Plasimus, in all his ghostly glory. He stared at Danny with a lopsided, evil grin, and those red eyes.

"Big mistake," Danny muttered, duplicating himself once, twice, three times! The six of him let out six ghostly wails, all at Vlad, and the "Wisconsin Ghost" found himself flying much similar to how Danny had been just moments ago.

The six Dannys reformed into the one. The boy was tired already. He felt a heat all over his body, and found he was sweating. "That's it... No more mister nice guy," muttered the ghost boy, and he dove towards the four ghosts that dared mess with him. He began shooting at them, rapidly, again and again, a violent crimson in his eyes.

"D-Dan?" called a hesitant voice behind him.

Sam. Her violet eyes, staring at him, so afraid. He looked down, at a puddle, and saw his reflection. He looked just like himself, just like Dan, with the red eyes, the blue skin, the fiery hair. He glanced at the four ghosts behind him, beat up. Vlad had been knocked unconscious, and was in human form now. Skulker's armor was completely destroyed. Technus' body was all bent out of shape. Box Ghost had never looked worse.

I did this, he realized. He softly landed on the ground, noticing his was floating. He glanced back at the girl, his red eyes having no hatred, but empathy.

In silence, she only stared at him, bewildered. He hated that look, he realized. Especially on Sam. He still loved her, he realized. The human part of him... And seeing her hurt, by none other than himself, was the lowest blow he could feel.

He went intangible, and flew back to his house, to his room, to think, to brood, really. Things were easier as a ghost, he knew. But now? Things were complicated.

The master of time let out a relieved sigh. For a moment, he believed that Danny would kill those ghosts, he would keep going. But he had done the sensible, right thing. Well, maybe leaving Sam like that wasn't right, but it was better than some of the alternatives...


	5. Chapter Four

Dan Phantom did not rest. Instead, he thought. He thought about Sam, and Clockwork. Clockwork couldn't see his actions coming... That meant he could do anything, and the spirit of time would never have predicted it. But he doubted he would be able to get away with something really horrible twice.

And Sam. He needed to talk to her. Tell her he was okay. But she couldn't know who he really was on the inside. At least, not yet, not now.

He grabbed his phone and dialed her number. "Manson residence, how may I help you?" asked a cheerful woman that was Sam's mom.

"This is Dan-ny Phan-Fenton." Wow, he really did need to work on his lies. He wasn't doing too well here. "Uh, I'd like to speak to Sam?" he asked, hesitantly.

The mom seemed to nod through the phone, "hold on, I'll get her." An exchange of incoherent yells, and some fumbling, before a new voice was heard.

"Danny? Are you alright?" asked Sam, sounding very frightened. Which she had every right to be, having seen his true form.

He let out a relieved sigh he didn't know he was holding. "I'm fine, Sam. How are you?"

"Are you... You're not depressed?" she asked, muffled slightly. He got the impression she was walking around.

The boy took a look at his free hand. Normal human skin, wrapped around muscles, blood, and bone. "I'm perfect, Sam," he muttered, still thinking over things. Clockwork's inability to see, the Fenton Ghost Catcher.

"Well, in that case... You won't believe who's back. It's Dan, your evil future self? I saw him, terrorizing other ghosts!" she exclaimed, in a tone that almost made the ghost boy cry.

He fell silent. What was he supposed to say to that? He couldn't tell her the truth... But how could he lie? Her face popped into her head, with such intense fear in her eyes, at him, for him... She would never trust Dan Phantom, he realized. She would never trust him, if she knew the truth.

"Danny?" she asked, softly. "You still there?"

"Yeah, I think I accidentally hit the mute button or something," he said, knowing full well he hadn't. "I think my sister's calling me... See you later." He hung up, feeling not so great. He sighed, and laid on the bed. When had life gotten so complicated? But he knew the answer.

Jazz went to the library. She felt uneasy about leaving Dan alone at the house, but she saw the state he was in. There was no way he was doing anything too crazy... She hoped.

At the library, she glided through the aisles of assorted works. This was her favorite place, teeming, bursting at the seams with knowledge. She took a deep breath, of that paper smell, and let it out in a contented sigh.

Right, back to why she was here. Dan. She had to figure out what to do with him, what to expect from him. She needed psychology books. But she also grabbed some time theory ones, too. She needed to know how to send him back... Just in case.

The idea came across her mind to use the Fenton Ghost Catcher, remove the ghost part of him, trap it, and keep the human part. But that part of him just wouldn't be Danny, not like that. She had been around the first time she saw it used on him, and the human Danny that resulted from that was less than half of her brother.

She kept walking, keeping to herself, looking for books on the aforementioned topics. Eventually, she stopped, and went to a table to start reading. The books would be no good if they didn't actually help her here.

Sam Manson paced her garden, back and forth, back and forth, with a perpetual frown. She knew Danny was recovering from depression, but she couldn't kick the feeling that something else was wrong here. Of course, Dan was back in town. Maybe that's what it was, Danny was so afraid of Dan, but he didn't want to show it to Sam, so he made an excuse!

She nodded. That's what it was. And it was kinda romantic, too, that he'd hide that from her, because he didn't want her to think less of him.

The amethyst eyed girl smiled. She figured it out, or so she thought. Didn't matter. It put those thoughts to rest.

Clockwork surveyed it all with a watchful eye. It certainly was an interesting story. It was like a script with a single character improving it, without any real written lines. Or something along those lines. The master of time found himself enthralled with this particular reality. Things certainly were stirring up... Would Dan remain good? Or would he give in to his ghostly parts, and become evil once more? It was a mystery, even to Clockwork. And this time... He would not intervene.


	6. Chapter Five

"Clockwork," Danny muttered, and watched as time went still. The master of time appeared, just as he promised he would.

The boy looked down. "I... I need to know the rules. What can I and can't I do?" He knew how easy it would be to blast away his all his problems. Pummel them down. But the human part of him held him back.

The spirit of time stroked his beard with his free hand. "You can do anything. But this reality is special. It can't connect to any other reality. In fact, it's rather a prison. Even I am not really here, but a hologram.

"It's your world, Dan. If you want to destroy it, so be it. But you have to live with the consequences, as well. You will not die truly for a very long time. Spend it wisely." Clockwork began to fade.

"Wait!" Danny said, voice cracking.

The ghost paused, cocking his head.

He looked out the window. "Sam... Jasmine... What do I do?"

Clockwork smiled. "Follow your heart. You know what to do, deep down in you. Do the right thing. And good luck." He vanished, and the clocks began to tick again.

Danny was left on his bed, staring at the floor trying to figure out what to do.

Jasmine knocked on the door to Danny - Dan's room. She still felt uncertain what to call him, but supposed either one worked. "How ya doing in there?" she called, checking up on her little brother like she always did.

He let out a muffled groan.

"Can I come in?" She asked, softly, laying a hand on the knob, beginning to turn.

He didn't answer. She took that for a yes.

She opened the door to find one Danny Fenton sprawled out, face down, on his bed, looking rather pitiful. "What's wrong?" she asked, softly.

He looked up with red eyes. "I don't know, you tell me, Jazz! I'm stuck in my teenager body, Sam is scared out of her wits at me, and I have no idea what to do about anything anymore!" He sighed, and they faded back to blue. "I just... I'm afraid, ya know? Of what I might do."

She sat beside him. "Well, I know one thing... It's not going to get better with you just laying here on your bed."

He sighed. "I know... I just... I don't know where to begin. Where do I even start to fix things? Do I tell Sam or not?"

She nodded. "Yeah... It seems like a lot, I know. But the first step to fixing things is talking to Sam. You'll figure it out, Danny." She ran her fingers through his slick black hair, to which he did not protest to, but seemed to shudder. He hadn't had any physical contact for a decade, of course he'd be unused to it. But it seemed to calm him down.

He took a deep breath. "Alright... I'll call Sam."

"No," Jazz said, bluntly. "Don't call her. Talk to her. Face to face. That way, you can't mess up."

Danny doubted that, seeing a million ways he could mess up, but ultimately let out a sigh, and growled, "Fine. But I won't kiss her."

In his mind, he doubted that, too.


End file.
